This invention relates to a chlorinator for treating water and, more particularly but not exclusively, swimming pool water.
Salt chlorinators for keeping swimming pool water clear and hygienic have been proposed over a long period of time. These chlorinators work to the extent that they do satisfactorily treat the water, but they have serious drawbacks. Essentially they have but very limited lifespan without maintenance and are thus both inconvenient and expensive to maintain in full working order.
It is the object of this invention to provide a chlorinator which is safe and which will at least mitigate the disadvantages referred to above.
According to this invention there is provided a water chlorinator comprising a housing having in line inlet and outlet openings and a removable cover supporting electrode terminals, the terminal being spaced apart and having rods extending therefrom through concentric anode and cathode discs with alternate discs electrically connected to each rod.
Further features of this invention provide for the rods to be threaded, for the discs to be held in fixed spaced relationship on the rods by nuts and spacers and for the nuts and spacers to be of circular cross section.
The invention also provides for the anode and cathode disc to have holes therethrough spaced apart the distance between the electrodes, one hole being sized to receive a rod therethrough and the other being sized to permit passage of a spacer with a clearance gap.
A further aspect of this invention provides for the housing cover to include an inwardly facing recess housing a flow sensor.
The invention also provides for the anodes and cathodes discs to be of the same or different materials.
A still further aspect of this invention provides for the chlorinator to have a DC power supply, for the DC power supply to include an input bridge connected to a buck converter, and an output relay arranged to switch the output of the buck converter to the electrodes of the chlorinator, for the buck converter to include a FET output stage, for the buck converter to be synchronously driven by a switch mode controller, and for the switch mode controller to operate at a frequency of about 70 KHz.
There is also provided for the power supply to include means for regulating the voltage and the current applied to the electrodes of the chlorinator, and for the current regulation to include current limiting.
There is still further provided for the power supply to include a switching facility for selectively reversing the polarity of the voltage applied to the cell, at periodic intervals.